Woodcut of the volcano Sakurajima at Osumi on Sakura Island, with sailing ships in the sea around the island by Hiroshige Ando, 1854. Sakurajima (Cherry Island) is an active composite volcano (stratovolcano) and a former island in Kagoshima Prefecture in Kyushu, Japan. The lava flows of the 1914 eruption caused the former island to be connected with the Osumi Peninsula. The volcanic activity still continues, dropping large amounts of volcanic ash on the surroundings. Earlier eruptions built the white sands highlands in the region. As of March 2014, the volcano is under a Level 3 (orange) alert by the Japan Meteorological Agency, signifying the volcano is active and should not be approached. It is currently the only volcano with this status.